This delicious twist on strawberry shortcake is a patriotic crowd-pleaser. Punctuate your Independence Day feast with this all-American combination of berries, biscuits, and bourbon. All the components can be made ahead, allowing you to mingle, man the grill, speak reverently of constitutional democracy, or dodge roman candle barrages until it’s time to whip up dessert. Heck, even if you decide to procrastinate till the last second, you can whip up the bourbon hard sauce and berry toppings while the biscuits bake.

Though frozen blueberries are a good choice for adding to the biscuits, we highly recommend using the ripest fresh red berries you can find for the fruit topping—strawberries, raspberries, pitted and macerated cherries, even mulberries if you’re lucky enough to find them. To serve, halve the biscuits (or not) and liberally smear them with Bourbon Hard Sauce. Plate the glazed biscuits and spoon sugared red berries over each biscuit. Just before serving, drizzle some of the berry juice on top. Of course, for larger crowds a self-serve buffet is more suitable; just arrange the glazed biscuits on a tray and serve the berries alongside in a big bowl.

Happy Fourth everybody!

Berry Shortcake with Bourbon Hard Sauce Glaze

10 generous servings; 24 stingy ones

Don't let the three-part recipe scare you... this is one of the easiest desserts ever. Plus, you can scale it up to feed a backyard-cookout mob without overcrowding the oven or harshing your mellow.

Blueberry Buttermilk BiscuitsAbout ten 2 1/2-inch biscuits

For smaller servings, make twenty-four 1 1/2-inch biscuits instead.Preheat the oven to 425°F.Sift together into a large bowl:1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon saltCut in, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, until the size of small peas: 6 tablespoons chilled butterMake a well in the center. Add all at once:3/4 cup buttermilk 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozenStir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently and quickly, about 8 to 10 times. Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin, to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.If desired, brush the tops with: Melted butterBake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. If making ahead, let them cool completely and cover in an airtight container.

Bourbon Hard SauceAbout 1 cup

Beat in a bowl until creamy: 5 tablespoons butter, softenedGradually add: 1 cup confectioners’ sugarBeat until well blended and fluffy. Add: 2 tablespoons Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey (or 4, depending on the crowd) 1⁄8 teaspoon saltbeating until very smooth. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. To serve, bring to room temperature before topping the biscuits. Do not let the sauce sit out in the summer heat for more than 30 minutes.

Sugared StrawberriesAbout 2 cups

Making this ahead will give the flavors time to meld.Hull (if desired) and slice:1 quart ripe strawberries (or the ripest red berries you can find)Mix in a bowl with:2 tablespoons sugar 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped into the bowl, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extractCover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove the vanilla bean hulls before serving.

Add new comment

Your name

E-mail

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Joy of Cooking App for iPad and iPhone

After three years of collaborative effort with our friends at Culinate and Scribner, it is our pleasure to introduce the Joy of Cooking for iPad and iPhone! Please check out this full-featured, digital version of the 2006 edition. In addition to the recipes and indispensable reference information our readers know and love, the app has many features that are brand new to JOY: